This month INH had the special treat of working with artist Aubrey Cone. Our goal was to create cute, fun, anime characters as branding for our latest wig restock and launch. Aubrey came in and absolutely killed it. She even stuck with us as we tweaked each character to be just right. We are so grateful for her time, energy, and creativity that she gave to us. As a token of our gratitude, we want all of you to get to know her and her art a little bit better!
We compiled a list of questions, and her answers will give you a glimpse into the life of an artist. Enjoy!
As many artists know, it can take a while to realize you are, in fact, an artist and to find yourself with that new title. We asked Aubrey When and how did you first realize you were interested in art? She said, “I have enjoyed drawing ever since I was young. I often doodled on any piece of paper I could find and would get in trouble for doodling during class.” She also added that her favorite medium growing up was graphite. As she has grown, her medium of choice has shifted a little she added “Right now, my favorite medium is digital, but I still enjoy dabbling with traditional graphite and pen from time to time.”
Art has changed a lot of the years as technology has developed and given way to so many new types of art. Aubrey says she “Had a huge interest in digital art since I was in high school, but I did not start drawing digitally until a few years ago when my parents were kind enough to purchase my first tablet for me.” We are glad she pursued that interest, so we were able to utilize her abilities this month!
Art is a very personal thing to share and can even be a challenge to create at times. When Aubrey gets stuck, she “Usually cope by listening to music, watching a movie or tv show; or playing games on my Switch.” When it comes to having support during the harder moments, Aubrey leans on her family and friends. She says, “My family and closest friends are definitely my biggest supporters, who I am very grateful for. One challenge that I am still trying to break through is to not be so self-conscious or insecure about my lack of skills and to learn to be proud of what I create. My proudest moment was when I finally gained the courage to upload my works online. While I am thoroughly enjoying the process, I still sometimes worry about people judging my art.” Having her support system has allowed Aubrey to continue to achieve her art-related goals and we are glad she finally decided to upload her art!
Going forward, Aubrey wants to continue drawing as much as she can and to pursue a career where she can make art and share it with others. As for her current style, she describes it as “very modern-anime inspired, but I sometimes like to add “cartoony” aspects as, well” and that she is still experimenting with styles to help broaden her work.
We wrapped up her interview by asking 2 more questions about the pieces that are her favorites and most special. Below are her answers, along with photos of each piece.
What is your favorite piece of art you have made today, and why?
I think my favorite finished piece was an assignment I worked on for one of my classes. I digitally painted Zelda and Link from the game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild onto Edmund Leighton’s 1900 painting, GodSpeed. It was one of my works that really encouraged me to continue posting onto my social media.
What is your most special piece of art?
One art piece that I hold very dear to me was a set of three The Nightmare Before Christmas themed playing cards, using my favorite characters.
To see more of Aubrey's art check out her art Instagram @Aubsart23. Check out @insertnamehere on Instagram as well to see the characters she designed to for us!
